1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a damping device for building seismic reinforcement, and more particularly, to a damping device for building seismic reinforcement that may be simply structured to increase the performance and durability of a building while preserving the beauty of the building, whereby a reduction in management costs through minimum maintenance may be expected.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a seismic design is strictly regulated in the Western United States or Japan where earthquakes occur frequently. In South Korea, seismic design provisions KBC2005 have been newly established to reinforce structural safety. There is an increasing trend of installing dampers in ferroconcrete buildings, for example, apartments, schools, and the like. Arts related to such a damper are disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 1171876, titled The damper for the earthquake-proof, published on Nov. 17, 2011 (Reference 1), and Korean Patent Publication No. 1176374, titled Seismic control brace apparatus and bracing method, published on Aug. 23, 2012 (Reference 2).
Reference 1 discloses a damper including a first fixed member including a first coupling portion and a first plastic pipe fixing portion, a second fixed member including a second coupling portion and a second plastic pipe fixing portion, a high-ductility metallic plastic pipe fixed to the first fixed member and the second fixed member, and a reinforcement pipe provided in a cylindrical form, the reinforcement pipe including a sealing member mounted between an inner circumference surface and an outer circumference surface, the reinforcement pipe configured to enable the second fixed member to perform a horizontal motion. The damper of Reference 1 may be expected to provide an effective response to seismic vibrations through a restoring force using air or fluid pressure and a restoring force using plastic deformation.
Reference 2 discloses a damper including a first cylinder, a second cylinder, a first elastic concrete inserted on a side of the first cylinder to apply an elastic force in a longitudinal direction, a first elastic spring fitted adjacent to the first elastic concrete, a second elastic concrete inserted on another side of the second cylinder to apply an elastic force in a longitudinal direction, a second elastic spring inserted between a baffle plate and an endplate, and a third elastic spring inserted adjacent to the second elastic concrete. Since the damper of Reference 2 includes a plurality of elastic springs and a plurality of elastic concretes, the safety of a structure may be expected to increase through dispersion of vibration energy.
However, when the ductile plastic pipe or the resinous elastic concrete is used, the damper may not be used for a long time and may be limited to a single usage. In particular, the damper of Reference 2 may be structurally complex and large-sized. Thus, there may be an inconvenience in terms of maintenance, and great concern about destroying the beauty of a structure.